Letters to the Editor

May 16, 2010

True Tea Party

In "If you hate taxes, thank Obama," April 18, opinion columnist Tamara Dietrich scolded the Tea Party patriots for not being properly grateful to the Obama administration for the piddling middle-class tax relief granted in 2009. She went on to allege that these protesters are encouraging violence and racism by their demonstrations. She is wrong on both counts.

Most Americans, not just the Tea Party activists, are very concerned about the mountain of debt being amassed by the federal government since President Barack Obama came into office. Total new spending commitments in less than one year: $9 trillion! Most people realize that all this spending cannot continue to be funded with more and more borrowing — the interest alone will kill our economy. Any rational person can foresee more taxes, lots more taxes, to pay for all the economic stimulus, bailouts, health care, "cash for clunkers," alternative energy, and all the other new goodies already passed into law. And national unemployment is still too high.

We know that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and guaranteed federal pensions are going to break us in future years. Since taxing the top 5 percent of incomes at 75 to 80 percent of their earnings won't make a dent in this mountain of expenditures, the only alternatives are to cut spending and/or more taxes on the middle class.

Cutting spending to keep the nation from bankruptcy is what the Tea Party movement is largely about. Its other major concern is job creation. With all the trillions of dollars planned for more entitlements, where will the money come from to start new businesses and expand existing ones? From China? From Saudi Arabia? I really don't think so. So the United States will become moribund, like France.

Richard M. Ludwig

Williamsburg

What experience?

Before the last City Council election in Williamsburg, the editorial page came out in support of a young man, age 22, while it dismissed a physician, age 38, and suggested he should get some experience serving on some city board before seeking office ("In Williamsburg," April 29).

It is difficult to see how much more life experience a senior at the College of William and Mary can bring to the office than a 38-year-old doctor.

Given your criterion for experience, one wonders how you dismissed two other candidates who have local governing experience, one serving as chair of the planning commission and another completing a term on City Council. If experience was important, you missed by not applying that criterion to all the candidates including one that you endorsed who has none.

Henry Coleman

Williamsburg

Navy smoking ban

The U.S. Navy announced that it is proposing to stop all (tobacco) smoking aboard its submarines.

This is a very honorable idea, but it shouldn't be limited to subs only.

Recommend that they stop smoking on all Navy ships, period. Better yet, all armed forces, ashore and afloat, should stop smoking, as would be healthier for all of them and us, too.